


Ashes

by Jaakkola



Series: Two Men In a Life or Death Situation In a Cabin In Drustvar [4]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Blood and Injury, Flirting, Flynn Fairwind Can't Take a Compliment, M/M, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26840584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaakkola/pseuds/Jaakkola
Summary: The lives and the loves and the songs are what mattersI'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes
Relationships: Flynn Fairwind/Mathias Shaw
Series: Two Men In a Life or Death Situation In a Cabin In Drustvar [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1957867
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	Ashes

**Author's Note:**

> From where Shaw sat, he had a clear view of the hearth and the lack of fire as Flynn was trying desperately to light the frozen logs resting inside. "I'm going to bleed all over your coat if you don't hurry up," Shaw murmured.

Flynn resolutely refused to look Shaw's way. There was a far bit of nervous fear across his face, but Shaw has had worse injuries he's recovered from in worse conditions, so he wasn't too worried. Sure, there was the chance of frostbite and hypothermia taking them both in the mountains of Drustvar, but if Flynn could just manage to get the fire up, then it wouldn't be an issue.

Easier said than done, it seemed, as Flynn cursed under his breath with frustration. "Language," Shaw quietly chastised.

"Don't you have a coat to bleed on?" Flynn poorly retorted, lashing out in both fear and annoyance towards the situation.

Shaw raised an eyebrow, but Flynn never looked over to see it. He rested his head back against the wall, trying not to focus too hard on the thrumming pain in his body. There was Horde in the mountains, the two had found out, and even though they managed to dispatch the patrol group they stumbled upon, they still got a good thrashing in return. Flynn didn't seem too banged up, but Shaw had an open wound and some cracked ribs that were protesting something fierce.

"How did it go again?" Flynn mumbled under his breath, clearly to himself. He started humming.

"Is this the time to try and recall a song, Captain?" Shaw asked.

Flynn gathered himself before sighing. "This may sound a bit foolish—"

"That's never stopped you before."

"Man, you get _cranky_ when you've been hurt."

Shaw felt the barest hint of a smile cross his face. "So I've been told."

Flynn continued. "I used to sail with this guy from Drustvar. Very superstitious guy. Always sang a song whenever he lit a lantern. Swore up and down it made it burn hotter and brighter."

"Did it?"

"I don't know. I always thought he was just imagining it was on cold nights, but I never stopped him. I do know this though—" Flynn looked over to Shaw, taking a moment to look over Shaw with concern before resuming. "—if you were to drag up gunpowder from the bottom of the ocean, sunken from the second war, that man could have gotten it lit in three minutes."

Flynn's attention was turned back to the hearth. "I just need to remember how it goes."

"So you believe that a song can light a fire?" Shaw asked.

Flynn shrugged. "Couldn't hurt, could it?"

Shaw supposed not, and Flynn hummed to himself, turning back to the fire, or lack-thereof. Distantly, Shaw noted that Flynn had a nice voice. He would sing on occasion, when he thought no one was listening, or when he was with his crew. He'd sing a refrain under his breath, Shaw figuring that it was more of an idle habit then anything else. He never brought it up with Flynn, lest he thought that it was being brought up out of annoyance.

After three verses of this song, it was clear it wasn't working, and as much as Shaw would enjoy to hear Flynn try to convince kindling to spark via traditional song, he couldn't feel his fingers anymore.

"My pauldron," Shaw suddenly realized. Flynn looked over, an eyebrow raised with confusion. He pointed over to across the room, to where his pauldrons laid abandoned near the door, and Flynn stood to grab them. He took both and carried them to Shaw. Shaw took his left one, undoing the clasp on the pouch and opening it up with unsteady fingers. He pulled out a small vial from the pouch and handed it to Flynn.

Flynn, being his incorrigible self, started, "while I'd never turn down a—"

"It's combustible," Shaw quickly interrupted with only a mild amount of annoyance. "Firestarter."

Flynn took it with a quiet mutter about Shaw being cranky, setting his right pauldron down by his knee and heading over to the hearth. Shaw set the left one down next to it, and rested his head back against the wall.

Flynn continued to sing, a bit louder this time, but his voice was still soft, as if the lyrics themselves were fragile and delicate, needing to be handled carefully. "I'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes," he sang to the hearth.

Shaw didn't realize that he had drifted off until he was given a light slap across the face, startling him back to consciousness. "Stay with me now," Flynn said, tone filled with equal parts amusement and worry.

Shaw hummed, straightening up as much as he could with his wound. Flynn managed to get the fire started, which gave little indication to how long Shaw had been dozing. "You have a nice voice," he said without really thinking.

"Oh," Flynn said unintelligently. There was silence for a moment, and it gave Shaw the chance to see Flynn's cold bitten face get even redder. "I think the blood loss is getting to you," he mumbled.

The corners of Shaw's mouth quirked up at that. "Just in the fact that I'm willing to say it."

Flynn ducked his head, avoiding Shaw's gaze as he got flustered. "You got to help me with how to take care of your wound," he said, trying to move to a new topic.

"You ever mend your clothes?"


End file.
